News

Applications for admission to Church schools in Malta and Gozo

Scholastic Year 2024-2025

30/01/2024

Applications from ‘Other Applicants’ for admission to Church schools in Malta and Gozo for the scholastic year commencing in September 2024 will be accepted online from 1st to 14th February and from 20th to 29th February 2024. There is a total of 884 vacant places for students (794 in Malta and 90 in Gozo). Applications from asylum seekers will be accepted in March.

Details on the number of places filled by ‘Criteria One’ applications received and processed by the Secretariat for Catholic Education last November and December can be found on Church.mt… Read more »

Pope on Holy Land war: Without two states, true peace remains distant

29/01/2024

In an interview with the Italian newspaper ‘La Stampa’, Pope Francis renews calls for a global ceasefire, warning the world is on the brink of the abyss, and says the recent declaration ‘Fiducia supplicans’ seeks to include, not divide.

“There was the Oslo agreement—so clear—with the solution of the two states. Until that agreement is applied, true peace remains distant.”

This is Pope Francis’ judgment on events in the Holy Land, following the attacks by Hamas and the war that is destroying the cities of the Gaza Strip… Read more »

Statement on the incident in Żurrieq Parish

28/01/2024

The Archdiocese expresses regret for the unfortunate incident concerning one of its priests at the Żurrieq parish recently, and is working closely with all concerned to address the situation.

The Archdiocese’s priority is the wellbeing of the priest and the community.

While the Archdiocese takes incidents of verbal and other abuse extremely seriously, given all the circumstances of the case it kindly asks for the public’s understanding, and appeals for empathy and sensitivity for all concerned with respect to comments made on social media… Read more »

Year of Prayer: Pope Francis to set up ‘School of Prayer’

25/01/2024

As the Year of Prayer gets underway, the Prefect and Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Evangelisation explain its purpose as helping Catholics prepare for the 2025 Jubilee, announcing that Pope Francis will set up a “School of Prayer” to explore various aspects of every Christian’s “breath of faith.”

On Sunday, Pope Francis inaugurated a Year of Prayer ahead of the 2025 Jubilee, calling on the faithful “to pray more fervently to prepare ourselves to live properly this grace-filled event and to experience the power of hope in God.”

The Year of Prayer, the Holy Father explained, is dedicated “to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer, prayer in personal life, in the life of the Church, prayer in the world.”

The Holy See Press Office presented the Year of Prayer on Tuesday at a press conference held by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, and Monsignor Graham Bell, Undersecretary of the Dicastery, whose Section is in charge of coordinating the Year of Prayer… Read more »

Pope’s Communications Day message: AI can never replace wisdom of human heart

24/01/2024

In his message for the 58th World Day of Social Communications, Pope Francis urges humanity to cultivate wisdom of the heart in the age of artificial intelligence.

Pope Francis has released his message for the 2024 World Day of Social Communications, focusing on the theme: Artificial Intelligence and the Wisdom of the Heart: Towards a Fully Human Communication.

Celebrated on 12 May, this year’s theme is closely linked to the Pope’s message for the World Day of Peace, which was devoted to the development of systems of artificial intelligence (AI)… Read more »

Restoration of the façade of the Archbishop’s Palace in Valletta

24/01/2024

Following years of meticulous restoration efforts, today marked the inauguration of the renovated façade of the Archbishop’s Palace in Valletta. This project, representing a €225,000 investment, saw 80% of its financing derived from European Union funds, with the remaining funding provided by the Archdiocese of Malta. The inauguration was presided over by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi and Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, who is responsible for European funds… Read more »

Spiritual Development in Schools: helping students and teachers stop, reflect and pray

20/01/2024

Religious education lessons may well be the most visible presence of the Catholic Church in Maltese state schools, but dozens of religious counsellors – and many volunteers and pastoral workers – also play an active role, helping in the spiritual and personal development of students, educators and staff alike.

And their efforts are coordinated by a team of three: Fr Reuben Gauci and pastoral workers Silvana Cardona and Anne Marie Gatt, who form the Spiritual Development in Schools (SDS) team within the Archdiocese of Malta’s Vicariate of Evangelisation… Read more »

Fr Marcello Ghirlando appointed as Assistant Visiting General of the Holy Land

19/01/2024

Patri Marcello Ghirlando ofm, li bħalissa qed iservi bħala Gwardjan fil-komunità tal-Patrijiet Franġiskani Minuri f’Għajnsielem, għadu kemm ġie maħtur Assistent Viżitatur Ġenerali fil-Kustodja tal-Art Imqaddsa, proċess li jiftaħ it-triq għall-elezzjoni ta’ Kustodju ġdid.

Il-Kustodju tal-Art Imqaddsa prattikament hu l-Ministru Provinċjal fir-reġjun tal-Lvant Nofsani, li barra Iżrael u l-Palestina, jinkludi wkoll il-Ġordan, il-Libanu, parti mill-Eġittu, Ċipru u Rodi, barra d-diversi Kummissarjati mxerrdin mad-dinja, fosthom dak f’Malta… Read more »

Live-in for parish priests 2024: A Church closer to the community

19/01/2024   The Archbishop's Seminary, Tal-Virtù

Parish priests in Malta recently convened for their annual live-in event, themed “an outgoing Church,” aligning with the ecclesial renewal process of the Church in Malta under the banner of “one Church, one journey.”

The focus of this gathering was to explore ways of being a vibrant presence in the community while sharing the Gospel’s joy.

Throughout the event, various speakers discussed their experiences addressing different societal challenges and emphasised the pivotal role parishes can play in positively impacting people’s lives… Read more »

“Do not shy away from emphasising the value of mass to children” – Bishop Galea-Curmi to parents

18/01/2024

L-Isqof Awżiljarju Joseph Galea-Curmi appella lill-ġenituri biex ma jiddejqux milli jenfasizzaw il-valur tal-quddiesa lit-tfal mindu jkunu ta’ età żgħira.

F’intervista waqt il-programm Għal Kulħadd fuq RTK103, li jixxandar bejn it-Tnejn u l-Ġimgħa bejn id-9am u nofsinhar, l-Isqof Awżiljarju stqarr li “jien naħseb li mindu t-tfal ikunu żgħar, mhux dejjem dak li tiżra taħsad imma jekk qatt ma tiżra, żgur m’intix se taħsad! … Read more »